N. Vizcaya vows to resolve Pangasinan boundary issue

By Leander C. Domingo

SANTA FE, Nueva Vizcaya -- The Sangguniang Panlalawigan or the provincial board here is determined to resolve the boundary issue with Pangasinan, particularly Barangay Malico which is being claimed by both Santa Fe town of Nueva Vizcaya and San Nicolas town of Pangasinan.
    The action being taken by the provincial board to resolve the issue is to continue what has been agreed upon by the former members of House Representatives from both provinces in 2000.
    A former mayor of Santa Fe town, board member Florante Gerdan of this province's south district said it was former representative Carlos Padilla, now governor of Nueva Vizcaya, and former representative Ranjit Shahani of Pangasinan who met on Feb. 28, 2000 to resolve the issue.
    Gerdan said that Padilla and Shahani, as well as local officials from both provinces, agreed to seek the technical assistance of the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (Namria), an agency under the auspices of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
    He said Namria's task was to conduct a delineation survey based on an agreed law or executive order.
    However, prior to this, there was an ad hoc committee composed of the representatives from Namria and Land Management Bureau and officials from Nueva Vizcaya and Pangasinan.
    "The ad hoc committee eventually agreed through a resolution to formally request the technical services of Namria to undertake the relocation survey," Florante said.
    With this, he said a memorandum of agreement between Namria and the provinces of Pangasinan and Nueva Vizcaya formally commissioned Namria to implement the project.
    "The two provinces then agreed to pay P600,000 each or a total of P1.2 million to cover the expenses of the survey. However, the province of Pangasinan reportedly did not comply with the agreement upon seeing that the built-up areas in the Malico plains indicatively belong to Nueva Vizcaya," Florante said.
    The provincial legislative boards of the two provinces have not met since then to continue to resolve the issue.
    "What the Nueva Vizcaya side is suggesting now is for the two provinces to convene again in a joint session to discuss unresolved issues and the future development of the contested areas," Gerdan said.
    He said the province of Nueva Vizcaya was alarmed by a post on social media that the province of Pangasinan has identified areas where they will build a view deck and other facilities for travelers.
    Gerdan said it was Pangasinan Sixth District Rep. Marlyn Primicias-Agabas who posted on social media that the local government unit of Pangasinan and national government agencies in Region 1 (Ilocos) met and discussed establishing facilities in Malico for tourism.
    Primicias-Agabas also mentioned illegal infrastructure built in the area, among other issues, in her post, which according to Nueva Vizcaya officials "may pertain to areas under the jurisdiction of Nueva Vizcaya, based on Namria's delineation."
    "We do not know [yet] where the province of Pangasinan will build their infrastructure projects.
    Hence, there is a need for a coordination meeting. It is suggested that the result of the Namria survey should be followed," Gerdan said addressing the board members of Nueva Vizcaya
    Also addressed to the provincial board of Nueva Vizcaya, Gerdan said "our prompt action will settle peacefully any additional infrastructure [to be constructed] by the province of Pangasinan in what we believe is a territory of Nueva Vizcaya."
    Meanwhile, a first-time visitor of Barangay Malico as governor of Pangasinan on October 19, Gov. Ramon Guico 3rd said in his speech at the Ilocos Region IP Summit that "Malico is part of Pangasinan, not of Nueva Vizcaya."
    Guico said he had gone to the village when he was campaigning for governor.
    "I made sure that I'm here today. And you, our dear brothers from the Ilocos Region, will be witnesses that the governor of the great province of Pangasinan went to Barangay Malico not only because my responsibility to host and welcome you, but to affirm that this place is part of Pangasinan," the governor said.